To encourage judicial cooperation in general and criminal matters between Member States; to finance programmes of exchanges, studies and research with a view to creating a European judicial area and fighting organised crime.

2) ACT

Council Decision of 28 June 2001 establishing a second phase of the programme of incentives and exchanges, training and cooperation for legal practitioners (Grotius II - Criminal) [Official Journal L 186, 07.07.2001].

3) SUMMARY

This Decision aims renew for the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 the GROTIUS co-operation programme set up by Joint Action 96/636/JHA of 29 October 1996.

The programme is intended to stimulate mutual knowledge of legal and judicial systems and to facilitate general judicial and criminal co-operation. The specific objectives of the programme are:

preparation of projects in the field of criminal judicial co-operation;

help in implementing the instruments adopted;

support for better mutual understanding on general topics;

local ad hoc projects with the aim of improving co-operation on the ground;

setting up networks between certain organisations and professions.

The programme will part-finance projects submitted by institutions and public or private organisations (including professional organisations, research institutes and training institutes). For the purposes of the programme, "legal practitioners" means judges, lawyers, criminal investigation officers, experts, bailiffs and any other professionals associated with the judiciary. Projects must involve at least three Member States. In addition, the programme may finance specific projects of particular interest in terms of cooperation with the applicant countries.

The programme will comprise the following types of project which apply to all fields of judicial cooperation, with the exception of judicial cooperation in civil matters:

training;

exchanges and work-experience placements;

studies and research;

meetings and seminars;

dissemination of the results obtained within the framework of the programme.

The Commission will be responsible for the management and implementation of the programme, in cooperation with the Member States. It will prepare an annual work programme comprising specific objectives and a list of projects considered as priorities.

The Commission will be responsible for evaluating and selecting projects on the basis of a series of criteria such as: the European dimension, scope for participation by the applicant countries, complementarity with other cooperation projects, and the quality of the project in terms of its conception, presentation and expected results.

The Commission will be assisted by a committee entitled the "Grotius II - Criminal Committee", consisting of representatives of the Member States. The Committee will be chaired by the Commission, which may invite representatives from the applicant countries to information meetings after the Committee's meetings.

Each year the Commission will undertake an evaluation of the actions carried out and will report to Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the programme. The first report will be submitted by 31 July 2002.

This Decision will enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal.